Thursday, September 01, 2005

Utter Despair, Horror and Fury

That is what I feel. The complete feeling of hopelessness sank in yesterday when I realized there is nothing I can personally do to help all those starving and dying people in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

The stories and photos coming out of the gulf coast are horrific; people dying by the droves after being trapped in hotels, convention centers and in their own homes. This will surely go down as one of the worst mishandling of a disaster in our nation's history. We knew the storm was coming, we knew it was bad and yet a full 4 days after Katrina devastated coastal communities from Alabama through Louisiana we still don't have a coordinated effort to relieve the cities and people.

I find it despicable that our elected officials have been absent from this until today. Didn't they manage to call a special session of Congress to decide the fate of Terry Shiavo (the comatose woman whose feeding tube was to be removed) in something like 3 hours? And yet until late last night all we had were state legislators and governors trying to wrestle with this disaster? And it is just amazing to me that our President, who has turned the world against us, decided to fit in a "fly over" of the city after a fund raising event and said he was canceling his vacation to get back to Washington to deal with this issue...what a joke. I think when Russia's Vladimir Putin ignored the submarine crisis and was relatively absent during the Chechan incursion in the Moscow Opera House and the Beslan School our country pounded its chest, puffed up and pointed fingers and said that was terrible leadership. Well, what do we have to say for ourselves now?

Pitiful is all I can say. Pitiful that we can coordinate a war half a world away and yet can't figure out how to get water and food to trapped and starving people. The state of Texas at least sent 300 buses to New Orleans...what is the Federal government doing? This is a disaster of biblical proportion...snakes, alligators, disease and death. I am ashamed that all I can do is donate money to help....it is a very sad time for our country and the world.

About Me

I work, I play, I am a dad & husband, a son & brother. I am addicted to Ultimate Frisbee, although the addiction is waning with age. I believe music moves souls and influences life. I love to travel and meet new people. I am a great pen pal. I've driven across the USA, traveled to Europe and Asia and frequently get lost in my imagination. I have life stories beyond belief. I advocate for parks & trails. I love my family. I have a fondness for spices. As a kid, my occupational fantasies were President, Sultan, Olympic basketball player, and explorer. I detest litter and mean people. Patience and forgiveness are works in progress.